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2019-2020 Roster


Kevin

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PG) Davonta Jordan/Ronaldo Segu
SG) Jayvon Graves/Gabe Grant/Savion Gallion
W) Antwain Johnson/David Nickleberry
F) Jeenathan Williams/Tra'von Fagan/David Skogman(RS)
F)Josh Mballa/ LaQuill Hardnett/Brock Bertram (HURT)

Edited by Kevin
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On paper that’s a really impressive lineup considering our graduating seniors. I’ve heard Johnson is incredible, any scouting on our other transfer Grant? I expect Jeenathan and Allen to be monsters next year. Wonder how all the minutes will be divided out. Of course this is all predicated on Oats staying, fingers crossed

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One question for this roster is who steps up to be the glue/leader? Graves and Jordan have been around but aren't the most vocal. I still think maybe Graves is willing/eager to take that role but stayed quiet with respect to this year's senior class. Maybe Johnson/Grant have earned some cache with the team in practice and can step in immediately as "true seniors". I think some of the intangibles of this senior class are going to be what is hardest to replace.

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I was kind of looking at it this way

Projected Starting 5:
F Andre Allen
F James Rojas (Raymond Hawkins instead of James if we land him)
G Jayvon Graves
G Antwain Johnson (had great stats with his last season at Mid Tenn, will most likely start every game)
G Davonta Jordan

Bench Players:  *Players in order to receive most significant minutes*
W/F Jeenathan Williams
G Ronaldo Segu
G Durey Caldwell (potentially Noah Williams here if he flourishes in practice)
F Tra'Von Fagan (might see minutes rotating for the 4 and 5 spot, who knows)
G Noah Williams (see above)
W/F Gabe Grant (really have no idea where he fits in the mix and I don't know much about him except for his stats for Houston and JUCO)
F Brock Bertram (role player at this point, and I think we can expect him to transfer after next season)


To me, Hawkins would be the final piece of the puzzle for next season. I'm thinking we are going to land him, but don't be surprised if he does choose Arkansas.

Obviously this is a huge crap shoot of a prediction, but I love this time of year to throw around predictions and bullshit the roster. 



 

Edited by mikescherrer8
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This is something my eye tells me every year when we face the Power 5 conferences, but we need to upgrade our frontcourt players.

Perkins was a beast, but he really was the only one there.  Perhaps having Smart yesterday would have helped.  These P5 programs just have bigger guys and more of them.

It made sense to run 4 guards this year because of our personnel.  You play your best team, but in the future we might consider going with a more traditional big.  Harris was our starting 4, but he's really a 3.  We can win in the MAC with 4 guards, but facing these trees in the tournament is really tough unless you're shooting lights out from deep.

It's a tough predicament for the coaching staff.  Playing 4 guards still might be our best shot with our inability to recruit dominant bigs.

We should be right there again.  We might not be an at large again next year, but we have enough to get us back to being MAC champions.  Winning that thing as everyone knows is not easy, but I think we should have the best chance.  If there are let's say 4 teams with equal chance and we are favored, it's still only slightly higher than 25% to win the MAC.  It's really tough to win.

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3 minutes ago, admin said:

This is something my eye tells me every year when we face the Power 5 conferences, but we need to upgrade our frontcourt players.

Perkins was a beast, but he really was the only one there.  Perhaps having Smart yesterday would have helped.  These P5 programs just have bigger guys and more of them.

It made sense to run 4 guards this year because of our personnel.  You play your best team, but in the future we might consider going with a more traditional big.  Harris was our starting 4, but he's really a 3.  We can win in the MAC with 4 guards, but facing these trees in the tournament is really tough unless you're shooting lights out from deep.

It's a tough predicament for the coaching staff.  Playing 4 guards still might be our best shot with our inability to recruit dominant bigs.

We should be right there again.  We might not be an at large again next year, but we have enough to get us back to being MAC champions.  Winning that thing as everyone knows is not easy, but I think we should have the best chance.  If there are let's say 4 teams with equal chance and we are favored, it's still only slightly higher than 25% to win the MAC.  It's really tough to win.

Villanova's championship teams might have something to say about this. I agree that having more size would be great but I don't think "traditional bigs" fit into Oats' fast-paced system. TTU didn't necessarily have towers, they just had 1-2" of height/length over us at each spot.

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27 minutes ago, mikescherrer8 said:

I was kind of looking at it this way

Projected Starting 5:
F Andre Allen
F James Rojas (Raymond Hawkins instead of James if we land him)
G Jayvon Graves
G Antwain Johnson (had great stats with his last season at Mid Tenn, will most likely start every game)
G Davonta Jordan

Bench Players:  *Players in order to receive most significant minutes*
W/F Jeenathan Williams
G Ronaldo Segu
G Durey Caldwell (potentially Noah Williams here if he flourishes in practice)
F Tra'Von Fagan (might see minutes rotating for the 4 and 5 spot, who knows)
G Noah Williams (see above)
W/F Gabe Grant (really have no idea where he fits in the mix and I don't know much about him except for his stats for Houston and JUCO)
F Brock Bertram (role player at this point, and I think we can expect him to transfer after next season)


To me, Hawkins would be the final piece of the puzzle for next season.

I see talent and potential in the squad. The key will be how the coaching staff develops them and meshes them together. Lots of interchangeable parts so some guys won’t get minutes eventually. I just wanna warn that we can’t get ahead of ourselves in projecting a freshman into a starting lineup. Maybe later in the season sure but from day one is just be weary of saying Hawkins will be a starter. 

I wonder how the backup point guard spot will shake out. Does Segu make improvements or will Williams be better for the role. Either way it’s an important role. 

If we land Hawkins our front court gets a massive height boost. As stated in games against P5 schools we are lacking in length which has been a big reason we lost to Kentucky and TT. While they didn’t have 7 footers they had athletic lengthy forwards. A front court of Hawkins, Allen and Williams/Rojas could make noise.

But integration, chemistry and figuring out a lineup and rotation will be key once the season begins. Now begins the development off season work.

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41 minutes ago, mikescherrer8 said:

I was kind of looking at it this way

Projected Starting 5:
F Andre Allen
F James Rojas (Raymond Hawkins instead of James if we land him)
G Jayvon Graves
G Antwain Johnson (had great stats with his last season at Mid Tenn, will most likely start every game)
G Davonta Jordan

Bench Players:  *Players in order to receive most significant minutes*
W/F Jeenathan Williams
G Ronaldo Segu
G Durey Caldwell (potentially Noah Williams here if he flourishes in practice)
F Tra'Von Fagan (might see minutes rotating for the 4 and 5 spot, who knows)
G Noah Williams (see above)
W/F Gabe Grant (really have no idea where he fits in the mix and I don't know much about him except for his stats for Houston and JUCO)
F Brock Bertram (role player at this point, and I think we can expect him to transfer after next season)


To me, Hawkins would be the final piece of the puzzle for next season. I'm thinking we are going to land him, but don't be surprised if he does choose Arkansas.

Obviously this is a huge crap shoot of a prediction, but I love this time of year to throw around predictions and bullshit the roster. 



 

This is kind of how I see the lineup too. The only thing I'm not sure about is that Hawkins actually starts if he comes here. All his recruiting info puts him on the level that Jeenathan and Segu were coming in. If that is the case I could see Rojas starting over him because I'm assuming he is more seasoned. 

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Yeah, Villanova shot lights out in those games.  Again, I'm not saying I have the solution.  It's a coaching dilemma.

I just looked at Davonta Jordan's numbers.  He actually shot 48% from 3 last year.  He didn't shoot bad this year, but he has the potential to be a good 3 point shooter.  Now how does someone have about the same 3point and FT percentage.  That's totally inexplicable.

With 3s, I think our whole team was just not consistent this year.  It's amazing how good we were despite not shooting it that well from deep.

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I think we could see different lineup combos. The lineup of Jordan, Graves, Johnson, Allen & Rojas is a small lineup. 

But conversely the lineup of Allen, Williams, Rojas, Graves & Jordan is a taller lineup. Imagine how much taller it is if it’s Hawkins, Allen and Rojas up front. 

Where do Cadwell and Grant fit in? What role will freshmen play? Who starts? Whose plays the Perkins/Caruthers role? All fun questions.

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7 hours ago, UB05 said:

On paper that’s a really impressive lineup considering our graduating seniors. I’ve heard Johnson is incredible, any scouting on our other transfer Grant? I expect Jeenathan and Allen to be monsters next year. Wonder how all the minutes will be divided out. Of course this is all predicated on Oats staying, fingers crossed

Do agree that on paper it looks very promising but that is why they have to play the games. It is amazing what having success and winning big time does for recruiting. I will always remember what Reggie said the last few years he was here when asked about recruiting and he said it is really hard to recruit players to a school like UB. He has said it at Canisius also. Without the right kind of culture and of course winning it is hard to get top players to come to your college. I think Rojas and Allen are two players that will be keys for us. Just a great time to be a UB supporter and fan. Go Bulls!!!!

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If I were Hawkins, this would be the best chance for him to start. He can slide into the 5, Allen at 4, Graves at 3, Johnson at 2 and Jordan at 1. Rojas and Grant off the bench first with Noah backing up the guards. I’m not big on both Segu or Williams. They just seem not to have “it”.They just don’t play defense as well. 

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43 minutes ago, MKBullsfan said:

If I were Hawkins, this would be the best chance for him to start. He can slide into the 5, Allen at 4, Graves at 3, Johnson at 2 and Jordan at 1. Rojas and Grant off the bench first with Noah backing up the guards. I’m not big on both Segu or Williams. They just seem not to have “it”.They just don’t play defense as well. 

I’m not looking for a fight here but what makes you think Hawkins has “it”? That you’re so ready to put him in the starting lineup. Is it bc he’s 6’10? Bc he’s a 4 star rated as opposed to the 3/3.5 that Jeenathan was? He hasn’t stepped foot on a college court and he’s in the starting 5...gotta earn that. Plus have you seen his body...it needs work. Perkins didn’t become chiseled right away...just like it’s going to take him a little bit. 

I agree this is his best chance to start sooner than later but I don’t think he comes in and starts right away. 

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21 minutes ago, DooleyBull06 said:

I’m not looking for a fight here but what makes you think Hawkins has “it”? That you’re so ready to put him in the starting lineup. Is it bc he’s 6’10? Bc he’s a 4 star rated as opposed to the 3/3.5 that Jeenathan was? He hasn’t stepped foot on a college court and he’s in the starting 5...gotta earn that. Plus have you seen his body...it needs work. Perkins didn’t become chiseled right away...just like it’s going to take him a little bit. 

I agree this is his best chance to start sooner than later but I don’t think he comes in and starts right away. 

I hear you but...What dues does he have to pay? We have no seniors at the 4 or 5 next year. Who is the entrenched starter he has to sit behind? There’s a whole new front court available. And you can’t teach height and his tapes show athleticism on offense AND defense. Worse case scenario he is a young Ikena Smart and in that case, he still helps us as a starter. Jeenathan had seniors ahead of him and frankly, I don’t think he’s that good. 

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21 minutes ago, MKBullsfan said:

I hear you but...What dues does he have to pay? We have no seniors at the 4 or 5 next year. Who is the entrenched starter he has to sit behind? There’s a whole new front court available. And you can’t teach height and his tapes show athleticism on offense AND defense. Worse case scenario he is a young Ikena Smart and in that case, he still helps us as a starter. Jeenathan had seniors ahead of him and frankly, I don’t think he’s that good. 

I agree that there’s no entrenched starter at the 4 or 5. And hey if he comes in and learns the system both offensively and defensively and earns a starting role I’m all for it. Whatever makes the team better. My only fear is that once again we are placing unfair expectations on him bc of YouTube clips. Much like we did with Rondo and Williams. And look at some of the fan base now...already giving up on those two. That’s all.

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Think about how God awful Jordan was his freshman year. Zero jump shot capability, no confidence, poor decision making, tons of turnovers, and zero aggression on offense. Compare that player to this past season, shot 48% from 3, aggressive defender, incredibly athletic when driving to the rim. All I’m saying is that giving up on Segu and Williams this early is jumping the gun. They’re just kids, they’re still learning and adapting to the speed of D1 basketball 

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15 hours ago, MKBullsfan said:

I hear you but...What dues does he have to pay? We have no seniors at the 4 or 5 next year. Who is the entrenched starter he has to sit behind? There’s a whole new front court available. And you can’t teach height and his tapes show athleticism on offense AND defense. Worse case scenario he is a young Ikena Smart and in that case, he still helps us as a starter. Jeenathan had seniors ahead of him and frankly, I don’t think he’s that good. 

I disagree about Williams, I think he is raw but he has potential to be really good. Hawkins is no guarantee to be any good. Below are the 247sports recruiting ratings for some of our players.

https://247sports.com/college/buffalo/Team/Buffalo-Bulls-Basketball-117/Roster/

I'm not sure why it isn't showing up but Jeenathan is a 4 star recruit on that site with a higher rating than anyone we have ever had. 

I am not saying that Hawkins will end up one way or the other, but to act like he will be a day 1 starter as a freshman might be setting unrealistic expectations. Jeenathan was rated higher than him on most recruiting sites and you don't think he is that good. Brock was rated higher than Perkins and CJ but clearly is not having as successful of a career. Anything can happen.

Edited by SGBull
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1 hour ago, SGBull said:

I disagree about Williams, I think he is raw but he has potential to be really good. Hawkins is no guarantee to be any good. Below are the 247sports recruiting ratings for some of our players.

https://247sports.com/college/buffalo/Team/Buffalo-Bulls-Basketball-117/Roster/

I'm not sure why it isn't showing up but Jeenathan is a 4 star recruit on that site with a higher rating than anyone we have ever had. 

I am not saying that Hawkins will end up one way or the other, but to act like he will be a day 1 starter as a freshman might be setting unrealistic expectations. Jeenathan was rated higher than him on most recruiting sites and you don't think he is that good. Brock was rated higher than Perkins and CJ but clearly is not having as successful of a career. Anything can happen.

Exactly, everyone brings up the player ratings I always make sure to mention CJ was a 2 star and barely listed as one at that and Brock is a 3 star 

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1 hour ago, SGBull said:

I disagree about Williams, I think he is raw but he has potential to be really good. Hawkins is no guarantee to be any good. Below are the 247sports recruiting ratings for some of our players.

https://247sports.com/college/buffalo/Team/Buffalo-Bulls-Basketball-117/Roster/

I'm not sure why it isn't showing up but Jeenathan is a 4 star recruit on that site with a higher rating than anyone we have ever had. 

I am not saying that Hawkins will end up one way or the other, but to act like he will be a day 1 starter as a freshman might be setting unrealistic expectations. Jeenathan was rated higher than him on most recruiting sites and you don't think he is that good. Brock was rated higher than Perkins and CJ but clearly is not having as successful of a career. Anything can happen.

All the ratings put on players in high school are just ratings based on their performance in high school. What matters is the kind of competition they played against. It is still only the potential the coaches see in these players and if they can develop and turn into good D1 players. It is based so much on how some of these kids mental state is and how they react to coaching and when things are not going like they were in high school how they adapt to the college game. You just never know and all these kids have to be given some time. It will be interesting to see how Segu and Williams come out next season.  We were told they were always in the gym shooting after games but there was really no improvement in their overall shooting but again time will tell and I will not be surprised if we see improvement in their games.  Go Bulls!!!!!

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